Chapter 2: A Generic Start (Prologue)

Otome games.

Frankly, though it would come as no surprise to anyone who knew me, I had prejudice against them for a long time.

"How bad can a plot be?"

The female characters generally tended to be helpless damsels in a hostile place, awaiting a charming, gorgeous prince to rescue them.

The main male characters, the so-called targets for capture, also had rotten and unsustainable personalities. Their selfless acts of heroism were, to say the least, far too surreal and only left the player feeling weak & frail.

The strategies, detailed or not, tended not to work at all and, in the end, the person would have to buy paid items in order to complete the game 100%.

Furthermore, other poorly developed and almost unexplained aspects made the story forcefully progress and several idiotic characters appeared in the plots only to disappear afterwards.

It was too convenient, too boring.

Hence, they were complete and senseless garbage.

It wasn't just a personal opinion of mine, of course. In the end, several people agreed with the same thought that crossed my mind when faced with games of the genre.

No wonder most of the reviews of these kind of games published on the internet were negative.

"Yet, respect breeds respect, right?"

I hated them. No, to be precise and honest, I hate it so far.

However, trying to act methodically, I always tried to respect those who liked them.

By keeping some distance from individuals who were die-hard fans of these things, I was able to maintain my patient facade. People looked at me favorably.

But there was a crucial problem with that... The problem, you ask me what is it?

Well, for starters, since the beginning of last year I've shared a room in an apartment with my younger sister, and she likes them.

Like, not similar to a normal person would — the woman was literally fucking obsessed with that shit. 

Countless posters of games like that were plastered all over the walls of her room and, even if I was the one who paid the apartment bills, the girl kind of thought she had the right to stick those damn posters in other places in the environment.

I couldn't deny her demands, though. All she had to do was call my mother and I would be in serious trouble.

Therefore, our coexistence was not the best. It was closer to bizarre.

To put it bluntly, her addiction was such that if you asked my sister how much she played, the girl would crash like an old-fashioned computer and couldn't really give you a concise answer.

But, obviously, there was a worse fate awaiting for you...

Unfortunately, if you were unlucky enough like me, what she could do was talk about her favorite ones for hours straight.

Every detail, every second and minute of the game. Every little thing seemed to be etched into that damned girl's mind, although, somehow unknown to me, she had trouble memorizing her school subjects.

"Playing them is a gift that gets me out of my troubles, temporarily!"

In addition to that, she liked to play these damn games on our TV, so I could see and hear absolutely everything.

Was this a method of torture approved by the fucking CIA and the FBI? So I was just a test subject or something like that?

By the way, did she hate me, by any chance?

I mean, really, we had our disagreements, just like any brother and sister pair, but... was that the case, really? 

One way or another, regardless of my pleadings, she would play for hours on end.

It was to the point that, as a high school student, she would sometimes not turn it off for days on end, even during the night.

"Why don't you love Taliyah, Asher?" She asked herself every day, repeatedly listening to the man's voice ring out.

Her voice only changed at that moment on days when she would sit on my couch and play this shit.

As she did, I could only think: 'Infernal nonsense...'

Frankly, the graphics and character designs weren't technically bad. I truly admired the poor fellow artists who were commissioned to hand over the character designs to the developers of those tragedies unfairly called a "game".

''No challenge will tear us apart, Asher.''

''I'm not sure, Taliyah... The path is too crooked. Is this the right choice for us?''

On the other hand, that disappointingly pathetic voice acting — Oh god, the worst offenders to my sleep were the ones with voice lines.

'So please, shitty annoying characters and games, leave me alone for a moment!'

Justice and evil can change depending on one's point of view.'I was so tired, so exhausted from it, that meaningless philosophical phrases, which I would never normally think of, popped into my mind.

Honestly, I wanted to shoot something on the TV because while I could handle my sister laughing, the speeches of the characters she so admired were terrible.

They were minimal, at least — she'd been on a single-game spree lately — but if I had to hear another cheesy line uttered by some pretty bastard, I'd explode.

My sister, anyway, loved the dub, to the point that it was the only thing she'd played in days.I say 'Yay!' to myself amidst this whole miserable scenario. 

It's okay, she's young and all, let her have her fun times. 

But seriously, couldn't a college student have a minute's peace? 

I hadn't achieved first place at the University of Santa Cruz luckily, dammit!

''Lana, hear me out. So, could you give this game a little time, please?''

"I can't, brother. I'm part of TWOF and TWOF is part of me, bro! You've got to understand!"

[The Wheel of Fortune Chronicles] — the cause of my worst nightmares.

Her favorite, these past few weeks, was a game called "The Wheel of Fortune Chronicles." 

Unlike the rest of her huge list of favorites, this one was essentially special. She's played this damn game over 20 times, and I don't think there's anyone else who knows this game so well.

I mean, there was me as the second person, because I was there for all those long-lasting non-break gaming sessions and had to put up with all the lame motivational speeches this girl put me through.

''We can't, your highness.'' 

The sound of voices that sounded through the television tormented me daily. 

Argh! I know I said I respected everyone and everything, but I hated this one even more because it was like every other cheesy otome game! 

Why couldn't it be a decent one?!

In fact, I honestly wonder if there are actually any good ones wandering around in the market?!

"Your lips are smooth and beautiful, Tali. Perhaps we can freshen them up later?"

What was worse was that my sister liked the characters even more than any other time! 

Honestly, I had no idea how she could feel something listening to the love interests say those mediocre lines of dialogue. The plot and conversation line as a whole was absolutely terrible.

No, terrible or disgusting would be a kind of high praise for this disappointing adventure that was TWOF. 

Regardless of everything else, there were some positives aspects in it; believe it or not.

I had to admit, the visual style and characterization were awfully good, but the rest of it negated any existing beneficial credit. The problem was that, on top of everything else, the bugs and problems of that shit piled up in a heap.

Ugh...

"But to hell with all that. I need to focus on what's important right now."

My willpower was reduced to the point that I had been wearing a blank expression for a few hours.

The thick purple-black layers that covered the entire outside of my eyes were the result of days of not being able to lie in my bed in peace.

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I had been sleep-deprived for a long time — studying for the tough university exams while dealing with my sister was tough.

Therefore, my tiredness accumulated to abnormal and inhuman levels. I just wanted to lay in my bed and spend some leisure time reading a book or watching the series that I love so much.

Either that, or I'd like to play some games that had a male audience in mind. 

I loved RPGS and MOBAS. Much of my teenage years revolved around playing games with my friends on a daily basis. 

We used to go to Lan Houses to play games together; was funny.But currently it didn't seem to be possible.

I had a huge obstacle in front of me, armed with the ultimate power known as "my mother". So with that in mind I just gave up temporarily.

"Whatever." Sighing, I blinked my eyes. 

Today was certainly a very rare day for me, and I decided to make the most of it without my sister.

That's why I came to the supermarket to buy some snacks to enjoy the day alone.

I was in my own world, disconnected from reality itself, thinking about how to spend my day peacefully — deep in thought, not paying attention to anything else.

"Maybe today is a good day, right?"

I was no longer focused on watching that woman playing an otome game.I wasn't focused on studying for exams. 

I didn't have to worry about maintaining my college rank and score. At first, it was currently noon on a Saturday and I was downtown, relaxing.

Having watched my sister play that fr*aking game nonstop for who knows how long, I had been extremely busy recently and hadn't gotten a weekend in a while.

However, I would make a point of taking advantage of Sarah's absence as long as I could.

TRINN TRINN~

"Huh?"

At that right instant, I heard an electronic sound from my smartphone. I quickly put my hand in my pocket, pulling out the device out from there.

Upon checking, it was a message with an attached picture of my younger sister.

'Enjoying abroad with my friends~'

Three people were neatly positioned side by side on a beach. 

The sea had been captured in the image as the tide lapped at the soft sand on the shore. 

Seeing my sister's disgusting smile, which had made my life hell during that period, made my blood boil.

"That bitch...did she lie to me?"

She had previously asked me for money saying it was necessary to attend a college seminar with her classmates. 

Nonetheless, she was on a beach enjoying perks while I drank cheap beer and ate snacks like a common wretch?

''No, not possible. She can be a little annoying, but she wouldn't do that to me. Right?''

Crossing the street I asked absently, when I heard a loud horn and saw bright lights beside me.

They ran towards me at a surreal speed, I had no way to react in time.I raised my hand in reflex. I don't think I've ever regretted not being more athletically focused in my entire pathetic life.

'Shit' was the only thing I could think of.

I looked straight ahead in shock.

Oh, that was too bad. 

In spite of that, it wasn't bad on a piecemeal level like the previous events — it was just awful in the literal sense of the word.

"ArKgH!...!"

I was thrown across the avenue with a frightening force of propulsion. A old-woman, driving the car, gasped as she watched me hit a wall next to a shop when a loud 'crack' reverberated across the street.

The gazes of all the people walking or driving by turned towards me.

In a desperate way, I tried to move in vain. 

My body lost its power like a wooden puppet with its strings cut and fell to the spot. 

Blood seeped from various parts of my body, bent in an unnatural and grotesque way. I couldn't feel my legs or my ears, even so I could hear the faint sound of a crowd gathering around me.

"F-fuck..."

My body wasn't doing what I wanted it to, and it was the worst luck to have it right before I was about to enjoy a quiet weekend.

How unlucky did I have to be for something on this level to happen?

The scenery in my field of vision was rapidly changing as my body grew limp, inching closer to death itself.

Incredibly, I didn't feel anything resembling pain in my body, but I recognized that my current state was dangerous. 

Death. Come to think of it, that was a very strange word when put in a situation close to her, huh?

'I can't...die...like this.'

My younger sister had crushed my mental health and long-awaited rest, and when I thought I was free, I suffered serious injuries?

In fact, it was quite possible that my life was at risk.

Thinking like that, strangely enough, I got furious.

It wasn't anguish or pain, just pure hatred, making the blood I had left boil violently.

''Someone call 911! Fast!''

In that moment, I had a sudden clarity. People's voices permeated my previously silent world, making everything even more dreadful.

''Why don't you do it, old man?!''

''Damn it! You two, stop arguing! He is dying!''

''Is anyone here a doctor—?"

And then, their desperate phrases were interrupted from one moment to the next. 

As if by magic, the world seemed to go into silent mode once again.

As the scenery around me darkened and I gradually lost my senses, I had one thought during my last breaths.

The strange thing was, for some reason, I felt like that thought was more real than my current life.

'Amazing...'

I had seen a scene that normally wouldn't happen even if someone was in their last moments.

There was land floating from the sea.

A strange airship was flying in the air.

A lush green lawn fluttered as the refreshing wind calmly hit it.

When I reached out to the sun in the blue sky with white clouds, my consciousness disappeared.

I...

I had died.

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